So I went to see Inland Empire in the cinema back in 2007 and I fell asleep. A few times. I wrote later in a review: "I understood nothing of this film. But that's not such a big deal with Lynch. I am too experienced a Lynch fan to get discouraged by problems with interpretation or logics. I know I could watch it the second time, the third, and I'd find the key. Problem is, however, that I completely don't feel like it cause the film bored me to death..."

Well, but two years later I somehow still had a couple of images in my mind and they sort grew on me so I rented the movie to watch it again. Hmm. I fell asleep again. I understood nothing again. And yet... I felt I wanted to see it again, too! Unlike the first time I didn't feel bored. It made me tired, yes, that's why I fell asleep. It confused me beyond the point of comprehension, yes, so I got lost in trying to follow who is who and why. But what it left me with was a series of great shots, of great scenes that really captivated me and a mood - no, more than mood, a feeling - that went deep inside of me.

Third viewing was with a friend, an old Peaks-pal. We both fell asleep this time No, but in fact I fell asleep only for short moments and it might be I was just sleepy anyway. The fascination was getting stronger and I even felt that perhaps in some places... I do understand a little?...

Fourth and last time made all the positive feelings stronger while the negative were almost forgotten. Home alone, middle of the night, so what if I take a nap in the middle again, it happened before and the film came through anyway. I may still be able to understand this film one day. I would like to read or re-read lots of interpretations I have found (this board, too) and perhaps I can come up with my own interpretation but so far it is for me a film of moments, moments that stick in my mind as strong as any Lynch-at-his-best. Like Grace Zabriskie visiting Laura Dern. Like that awful sweating axxon n. man. Like the snowy streets. Like the crying girl in front of the television. Like Laura Dern dying which is one of the best Lynch scenes ever and one of the best pieces of acting ever.

The fifth time is approaching, I feel

Last edited by BOB1 on Sun Nov 16, 2014 6:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

At first I also had my problems with IE but now after watching it a couple of more times I've also come to the conclusion that it's among my favorite David Lynch movies. There are a lot of great scenes some of them already mentioned by BOB1. Laura Derns performance was fabulous and I still don't know why she didn't get a nomination for best actress in 2006 by the academy.

I'm going to watch IE again soon...going to build up to it by watching the other movies first. Then I'll watch TP and FWWM right before the TP season 3 airs. Not sure if I should watch FWWM before or after TP seasons 1&2.

Already watched Lost Highway again recently...was awesome but this time I wasn't frightened for hours after haha.

Mb3 wrote: I still don't know why she didn't get a nomination for best actress in 2006 by the academy.

yeah well... The acting nominations that year were very good, and Helen Mirren's winning performance was really top class. Still I'd say Laura Dern in Inland Empire beat them all easily. Well, not for the Academy.

I know what you mean; the film intrigued me when I first saw it but then I tried to watch it again a day or two later and it didn't hold my interest. After years went by I watched a few times again this spring and now I think it's one of my favorite Lynchs.

Here's the thing: this is pure Lynch. None of the various filters which are often our favorite thins about a Lynch work, this is like a peek directly into his raw subconscious. Fever dream visions with fleeting, frustrating glimpses of some larger meaning so that you can't just relax and enjoy the trippiness for its own sake. This is there in all of his other films too but usually accompanied by appealing, distracting elements which can keep us from falling into the darkness and mystery entirely. Inland Empire is like uncut drugs if you're used to something really good but still diluted (I'm not a junkie, don't judge me by that analogy!). Musically, it reminds me of post-punk: stripped-down only to be built back up - a simplicity with fathomless depths.

As for what it all means, Martha Nochimson in David Lynch Swerves has by far the best reading of it I've seen - I'll attempt to summarize it here later when I have more time but basically it works backwards from the emotional experience and outlines the film as a psychodrama (borrowing elements from quantum mechanics and the Vedas to clarify the interpretation) rather than trying to impose a too rationalistic here's-what-happens explanation on it. I think that's where a lot of interpretations of Lynch get tripped up. The emotions ALWAYS come first in his world, and everything else flows from there.

I just watched it again today right now I'm still to baffled to write anything meaningful (must have also been the fifth or maybe the sixth time that I've seen it). I'll go on to view the More things that happened deleted scenes later since I didn't watch them as much as the movie itself. What I've always been wondering and maybe BOB1 you can help me out with this since you life in Poland. Do the segments that take place in Poland or I should better ask the scenes that involve the Polish actors all make sense ? I mean make sense in, does all the Polish spoken dialogue make sense ? It's a weird question I know but I was always curious to know if the translation of the original script was properly accomplished into Polish.

Cool!! I hoped if I lurked here long enough this Thread... EDIT: FORUM, I guess ... would rise from the dead and walk again among us. Indeed a great, cobbled-together series of actions, their consequences and breakthrough moments...kinda like life.An appropriate choice for the Day of the Dead. If we can stay awake after our annual viewing of Under the Volcano...

Last edited by Carl on Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

I love IE, it probably is the film that Lynch made with more freedom and as such is pure, unique... I didn't really appreciate it the first time I saw it, but after many viewings I fell in love with it... It still confuses me unlike any other Lynch film does, but I love too that it's still a puzzle for me... Bopper, have you seen MORE THINGS THAT HAPPENED? I consider it not just a bunch of deleted stuff, but a very important addition to it... There's information there that I think is vital to understanding the movie...

I'm not one hundred percent sure but I think the deleted scenes (MORE THINGS THAT HAPPENED) are only available on the two disc special edition which was only released in the US so far. But as I said I'm not absolutely sure and maybe you can also find it somewhere on the european market ?

Find it BOB1, it sure is interesting... As for scenes that I think are very important and I think should have been kept in the actual movie, well, without spoiling anything to Bob here: someone selling watches, a male character's death (something we didn't see in IE), a slight clue about who Nastassja Kinski's character is, gypsy old women, a rabbit outside his room in a place we see in IE... Lots of bits and pieces that when added to IE make a wonderful whole, exactly like FWWM's missing pieces...

I sure would want to see it! But find it, you say... I'm extremely bad at finding things on the internet. To tell you the truth I don't even know how to download anything (nor upload as it just turned out). The only things I know about internet are message boards, e-mail, wikipedia and youtube. I mean it!

Gordon wrote:a male character's death (something we didn't see in IE)

male no, but the female... repeating myself, I know, but it's an absolutely amazing piece of anything.

I was even thinking of a thread on the best death scenes in cinema history just like the one I made with opening credits (by the way, Gordon, have you seen it? I wonder what your opinion would be). If I ever started such a thread, then Laura Dern's scene is in the very top.

make a wonderful whole, exactly like FWWM's missing pieces...

oh, and that. I've very recently seen it for the first time and promised myself I had to search the board for some threads about Missing Pieces. but the last weeks seem to be short of time again

Gordon wrote:Find it BOB1, it sure is interesting... As for scenes that I think are very important and I think should have been kept in the actual movie, well, without spoiling anything to Bob here: someone selling watches, a male character's death (something we didn't see in IE), a slight clue about who Nastassja Kinski's character is, gypsy old women, a rabbit outside his room in a place we see in IE... Lots of bits and pieces that when added to IE make a wonderful whole, exactly like FWWM's missing pieces...

Nastassja Kinski is in Inland Empire?! LOL, I really need to watch that movie again...